The Kenya County governments’ trust and evidence in its archives and records management systems: The case of Uasin Gishu County

Abstract

The World Wide Web and widespread use of various systems have made it possible for consumers and businesses to create and distribute information with only the click of a button in the workplace (Lougee 2002). This has resulted in the oft-referred-to exponential growth in the amount of information generated for business purposes, arising from developments in information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, many organizations in Kenya are yet to formally integrate records management programmes into their business operations to efficiently and effectively manage the large body of digital records generated. Consequently, public sector organisations are exposed to risks resulting from poor records management, which impact negatively upon overall organisational objectives. The objective of this study is to examine the business processes of Uasin Gishu headquarters, to assess the state of archives and records management. The study was based on the records continuum model and the service Canada model used by the Canadian Government. Qualitative research approach was used in the study using a case study design. The respondents included 4 records staff in the registry, 4 IT staff from ICT department and 2 heads of departments. Key findings were that Uasin-Gishu County headquarters generated a lot of paper based records: the state of records management at the County headquarters was poor while service delivery practices were of low standards; the study concluded that the poor state of records management had contributed to poor service delivery making the County Government inefficient in delivery services to the citizens. The study recommends that Uasin-Gishu County should adopt a comprehensive records management and service delivery model. The paper ends by putting forth a strategy for aligning records management and risk management with business processes at Uasin Gishu County Headquarters.